There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . . Ecclesiastes 3:1

Dining Room Re-do, Part 1.

Every year, nearing the end of summer, I go through something equivalent to the “nesting” a pregnant woman experiences toward the end of her pregnancy. Each year when August rolls around, as a homeschooling mom, I feel the need to get the house all in order and our school areas organized and beautiful. I love to set up a study area for the kids and me that is pretty, tidy, and functional. This year is no exception. However, it’s a little different in that we are still moving into our new house!

2 summers ago, we began our school year on picnic tables under outside our camper we were living in while we remodeled our home in Maryland. This year, in our “new to us” Florida home, our dining room will be serving us two-fold: for mealtime and school time. Therefore, it has become my latest room in focus. With classes scheduled to begin next week, we’ve chosen this week to be our “soft start” for school. We’ll be painting the room, refinishing the Craigslist dining table, getting each of the kids’ school books organized and typing up daily and weekly planners. I may even squeeze in a lesson or two of math! (This is where all 5 of our kids would emit a collective groan!)

Here are some before shots of the dining room/study we’re working on:

The color is a blend between mauve and terracotta — I really couldn’t teach the kids in these conditions!

And here is the before shot, courtesy of Craigslist, of the table and chairs we’ll be working on, and next week (if all goes as planned), we’ll be eating and studying at:

One could fit a small army around it, and has great legs so I can’t wait to make it beautiful!

Stay tuned for a posting of the “after” look. I’m excited about how it’s going to turn out, if I can get the idea for it out of my head and onto the table!